Religious self respect

Acts 19:1-10

           I had the pleasure of speaking with a learned and wise 87 year old last evening. We spent quite some time covering a wide range of topics that included religion. He shared about his search for being holy and faithful which had taken him away from organized religion. He found fault with many of the man made policies and rules and embraced the essence of what religions are. You can see why I was so captivated by him. He loves his family, is honest, compassionate and tries to never lie or cheat. He is a model. I am sure that when he meets his maker which he admits is not too far away, he will be embraced as a truly holy and beloved child.

             I am reminded of this man's journey and my own when I read the line of passage When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him.. It is difficult for me to understand now why there are people who clearly do not or cannot live up to some of the rules and rubrics of the faith they were born into, and yet they stay. These people stay with no small amount of self loathing, embracing what some would call the "bells and smells" as if that were the comforting essence of faith. 

             It seems fundamentally wrong to not use the brains God gave us and embrace some kind of voo doo religion that discards the message of The Way for rules that I'm not sure even Jesus could imagine. I am sure that if Jesus were here today he'd be railing against the Roman Catholic Church as much as he did against the Pharisees.

            As this passage relates and I think is the only true solution, it is to leave the church for a more honest church. For me that is the Episcopal church. As an Episcopalian I can acknowledge my faults, repent, love and not hide and feel guilty about who I am. In the Roman church I would have scads of strikes against me, divorced, gay, married again ( to the man of my dreams come true ). I find many of the rules and dogmas of the Roman church highly suspect. From divorce and birth control to women Priests. I find it sadly comical how a church can rail against being gay  or monogamous gay relations while such a high percentage of Priests are gay and clearly not celibate. Heck I find celibacy highly suspect. It is wholly unnatural. I will be generous and not mention child abuse and all the cover ups. 

          Can anyone with an ounce of self respect and half a brain stay in the Roman church as it constitutes itself? There are other churches that historically are equally if not more valid than the Roman church. Why stay and have to beat yourself up? 

          I suppose in a way this a discussion against organized religion. My elderly friend found that was his solution. It is sad in a way that organized religions can do that to a person and stunting their joyful soul. I argue against anything that stunts the true message of Christ and embraces man made rules over love and intelligence.

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ Then he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They answered, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—altogether there were about twelve of them.

He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.